The Skyspaces by James Turrell

Throughout his career, James Turrell has been fascinated by the phenomenon of light, particularly the ways in which it can be exploited in order to alter our perception of the natural world. Since the mid-1970s, Turrell has been creating Skyspaces, structures that are both enclosed and open to the sky, allowing visitors to contemplate atmospheric changes through apertures in the ceilings of the structures. The viewer must linger to experience the variances in light, which change according to the season, day, hour and the weather.

Commissioned in 2001 and completed in 2007, Stone Sky, 2005 includes a pavilion and an infinity pool that stretches out toward the valley floor and the volcanic pinnacles beyond. Turrell’s installation within the open pavilion brings a square of sky through an overhead plane. By swimming underwater at the end of the pool, one surfaces within a cube-like Skyspace, whose interior is finished in teak.